By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Superintendent of Fayette Local Schools is facing criminal charges following a golf cart crash that occurred the night of July 26th at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Park Street in Napoleon near the police station.
The case is now pending in Napoleon Municipal Court, and the defendant, Angela Belcher, is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
According to a report filed by Officer Chase Laver of the Napoleon Police Department, the collision was heard by the officer shortly before 9:45 p.m.
Upon arriving at the intersection, he observed a crash involving a northbound golf cart and a southbound Chevrolet Silverado attempting a left turn onto Park Street.
The driver of the golf cart, identified in the report as Angela Belcher of Napoleon, had an apparent injury to her leg, though she declined EMS transport.
The driver of the pickup truck told police he did not see the golf cart until it was too late, alleging that it did not have headlights on at the time of the crash.
Belcher initially stated her lights had been on but was reportedly unable to demonstrate their function when asked.
Her husband, who arrived shortly after, was able to activate the headlights and confirmed that Belcher knew how to use them.
Officer Laver reported that Belcher appeared confused and that a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was present.
After allegedly denying consumption to EMS, Belcher later stated to the officer that she had two glasses of wine about two hours prior to the crash.
She was asked to complete field sobriety tests and initially declined, saying she wanted to consult her husband. She later agreed to the testing.
According to the report, Belcher exhibited multiple indicators of possible impairment during the sobriety evaluations.
Officer Laver documented four out of six clues during the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, six out of eight on the walk-and-turn test, and three out of four on the one-leg stand.
Another officer, Thalia Musshel, confirmed signs of impairment during the HGN test as well. Belcher reportedly became defensive during the interaction and continued to assert that her headlights had been on.
Following the field tests, Belcher was placed under arrest. Officer Laver noted a white coating on her tongue, which he documented as commonly observed in people who have consumed alcohol.
She was transported to the Napoleon Police Department, where she refused to provide a breath sample. She was cited for operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to display headlights, then released to a sober driver.
Video footage from Napoleon Police Department cameras reportedly confirmed that the golf cart did not have headlights on at the time of the crash. This video was added to the case evidence along with photographs taken at the scene.
Court records show the case was officially filed on July 28. Belcher entered a not guilty plea through her attorney, Andrew Bucher, and waived her arraignment.
A phone pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 14. A motion to preserve evidence was granted by the court, and a substitution of counsel for the prosecution was approved on July 31 due to a conflict of interest.
As of this writing, no official comment has been made by the district regarding the charges.